The number of proper texts which the Byzantine Rite has for any given liturgical day is far larger than those of the Roman Rite. When I write something that highlights them, I usually choose the ones which are most frequently used: the tropar and kontak, which are said at most Hours of the Office as well as the Divine Liturgy, or the proper hymn to the Virgin Mary sung during the anaphora. Today, I thought I would focus on something different, namely the Canon, a set of compositions based on a series of nine Biblical canticles, eight from the Old Testament and one from the New. (These canticles are called “ᾠδαί – odes” in Greek, “пѣсни – songs” in Church Slavonic.) The feast of the Transfiguration, which originated in the Byzantine Rite, has two Canons, with a total of over 70 texts, so obviously, this will be just a selection.
New Liturgical Movement: The Byzantine Canons of the Transfiguration
New Liturgical Movement: The Byzantine Canons of the Transfiguration
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